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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: drill · plane · mine · capital · spell · chair · arm · mark

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. mark — a grade
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. capital — money
  11. chair — a leader
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. plane — a tool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spell — letters
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. drill — army training
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mark — a trace
  24. capital — a city

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com